Florida

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This article is about the State of Florida. For other uses, see Florida
(disambiguation).
Florida
State
State of Florida
Flag of Florida
Flag
Official seal of Florida
Seal
Nickname(s): The Sunshine State
Motto(s): In God We Trust[1]
Anthem: "Old Folks at Home" and "Florida"
Map of the United States with Florida highlighted
Map of the United States with Florida highlighted
Country United States
Before statehood Florida Territory
Admitted to the Union March 3, 1845 (27th)
Capital Tallahassee
Largest city Jacksonville
Largest metro Miami
Government
• Governor Ron DeSantis (R)
• Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Núñez (R)
Legislature Florida Legislature
• Upper house Senate
• Lower house House of Representatives
U.S. senators Marco Rubio (R)
Rick Scott (R)
U.S. House delegation 14 Republicans
13 Democrats (list)
Area
• Total 65,757.70[2] sq mi (170,312 km2)
Area rank 22nd
Dimensions
• Length 447 mi (721 km)
• Width 361 mi (582 km)
Elevation
100 ft (30 m)
Highest elevation (Britton Hill[3][4])
345 ft (105 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean[3])
0 ft (0 m)
Population (2019)
• Total 21,477,737[5]
• Rank 3rd
• Density 384.3/sq mi (121.0/km2)
• Density rank 8th
• Median household income
$53,267[6]
• Income rank
40th
Demonym(s) Floridian, Floridan
Language
• Official language English[7]
• Spoken language Predominantly English and Spanish[8]
Time zones
Peninsula and "Big Bend" region UTC-05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST) UTC-04:00 (EDT)
Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River UTC-06:00 (Central)
• Summer (DST) UTC-05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation
FL
ISO 3166 code US-FL
Trad. abbreviation Fla.
Latitude 24° 27' N to 31° 00' N
Longitude 80° 02' W to 87° 38' W
Website myflorida.com
Florida state symbols
Flag of Florida.svg
The Flag of Florida
Seal of Florida.svg
The Seal of Florida
Living insignia
Amphibian Barking tree frog
Bird Northern mockingbird
Fish Florida largemouth bass, Atlantic sailfish
Flower Orange blossom
Insect Zebra longwing
Mammal Florida panther, manatee, bottlenose dolphin, Florida Cracker Horse[9]
Reptile American alligator, Loggerhead turtle, Gopher tortoise[9]
Tree Sabal palmetto
Inanimate insignia
Beverage Orange juice
Food Key lime pie, Orange
Gemstone Moonstone
Rock Agatized coral
Shell Horse conch
Soil Myakka
State route marker
Florida state route marker
State quarter
Florida quarter dollar coin
Released in 2004
Lists of United States state symbols

Florida (/ˈflɒrɪdə/ (About this soundlisten),[10] Spanish pronunciation: [flo

ˈɾiða]) is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is
bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the
north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the
Straits of Florida. The state's capital, Tallahassee, was established as such in
1823 by the second session of the territorial legislature.[11] Florida is the 22nd-
most extensive (65,755 sq mi or 170,300 km2), the 3rd-most populous (21,477,737
inhabitants),[12] and the 8th-most densely populated (384.3/sq mi or 148.4/km2) of
the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and
the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan
area is Florida's most populous urban area.

Florida's $1.0 trillion economy is the fourth-largest in the United States.[13] If

it were a country, Florida would be the 16th-largest economy in the world, and the
58th-most populous as of 2018.[14] In 2017, Florida's per capita personal income
was $47,684, ranking 26th in the nation.[15] The unemployment rate in September
2018 was 3.5% and ranked as the 18th in the United States.[16] Florida exports
nearly $55 billion in goods made in the state, the 8th highest among all states.
[17] The Miami metropolitan area is by far the largest urban economy in Florida and
the 12th largest in the United States with a GDP of $345 billion as of 2017.[18]
This is more than twice the number of the next metro area, the Tampa Bay Area,
which has a GDP of $145 billion. Florida is home to 51 of the world's billionaires,
most of them residing in South Florida.[19]

The first European contact was made in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León,
who called it la Florida ([la floˈɾiða] "the land of flowers") upon landing there
in the Easter season, known in Spanish as Pascua Florida.[20] Florida was a
challenge for the European colonial powers before it gained statehood in the United
States in 1845. It was a principal location of the Seminole Wars against the Native
Americans, and racial segregation after the American Civil War.

Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high
population growth, as well as for its increasing environmental issues. The state's
economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed
in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange
crops, winter vegetables, the Kennedy Space Center, and as a popular destination
for retirees. It is the flattest state in the United States,[21] and Lake
Okeechobee is its largest freshwater lake.[22]

The state's close proximity to the ocean influences many aspects of Florida culture
and daily life. Florida is a reflection of influences and multiple inheritance;
African, European, indigenous, Latino, and Asian heritages can be found in the
architecture and cuisine. Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie
Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract
celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto
racing, and water sports. Several beaches in Florida have turquoise and emerald-
colored coastal waters.[23]

About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the
Atlantic Ocean. Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States,
approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including the contribution of the many
barrier islands.[24] Florida has a total of 4,510 islands that are ten acres or
larger in area.[25][26] This is the second-highest number of islands of any state;
only Alaska has more.[25] It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the state is at or near sea level, and is
characterized by sedimentary soil. Florida has the lowest high point of any U.S.
state. The American alligator, American crocodile, American flamingo, Roseate
spoonbill, Florida panther, bottlenose dolphin, and manatee can be found in
Everglades National Park in the southern part of the state. The climate varies from
subtropical in the north to tropical in the south.[27] Along with Hawaii, Florida
is one of only two states that have a tropical climate, and is the only continental
state that has both a tropical climate and a coral reef. The Florida Reef[28] is
the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States,[29] and the
third-largest coral barrier reef system in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef
and Belize Barrier Reef).[30]
Contents

1 History
1.1 European arrival
1.2 Joining the United States; Indian removal
1.3 Slavery, war, and disenfranchisement
1.4 Reconstruction era and end of the 19th century
1.5 20th- and 21st-century growth
2 Geography
2.1 Climate
2.2 Fauna
2.3 Flora
2.4 Florida Reef
 2.5 Environmental issues
2.6 Geology
2.7 Regions
3 Demographics
3.1 Population
3.2 Cities and towns
3.3 Ancestry
3.4 Languages
3.5 Religion
4 Governance
4.1 Elections history
4.1.1 Elections of 2000 to present
4.2 Statutes
4.3 Taxation
5 Economy
5.1 Personal income
5.2 Real estate
5.3 Tourism
5.4 Agriculture and fishing
5.5 Industry
5.6 Mining
5.7 Government
6 Seaports
7 Health
8 Architecture
9 Media
10 Education
10.1 Primary and secondary education
10.2 Higher education
11 Transportation
11.1 Highways
11.2 Airports
11.3 Intercity rail
11.4 Public transit
12 Sports
13 State symbols
14 Sister states
15 Notable people
16 See also
17 Notes
18 References
19 Bibliography
20 External links

History
Main article: History of Florida

By the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record,
major Native American groups included the Apalachee of the Florida Panhandle, the
Timucua of northern and central Florida, the Ais of the central Atlantic coast, the
Tocobaga of the Tampa Bay area, the Calusa of southwest Florida and the Tequesta of
the southeastern coast.
European arrival
Main articles: New Spain, Spanish Florida, French and Indian War, Treaty of Paris
(1763), West Florida, East Florida, Indian Reserve (1763), American Revolutionary
War, Gulf Coast campaign, Treaty of Paris (1783), and Spanish West Florida
Map of Florida, likely based on the expeditions of Hernando de Soto (1539–1543)

Florida was the first region of the continental United States to be visited and
settled by Europeans. The earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish
conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula
on April 2, 1513. He named it La Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape
and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida
(Festival of Flowers). The following day they came ashore to seek information and
take possession of this new land.[31][32] The story that he was searching for the
Fountain of Youth is mythical and appeared only long after his death.[33]

In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching
for a deep harbor to land. He described a thick wall of red mangroves spread mile
after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet (21 m), with intertwined and elevated
roots making landing difficult.[34] The Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle,
horses, sheep, the Castilian language, and more to Florida.[35] Spain established
several settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. In 1559, Don
Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola,
making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was mostly abandoned by
1561.

In 1565, the settlement of St. Augustine (San Agustín) was established under the
leadership of admiral and governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, creating what would
become one of the oldest, continuously-occupied European settlements in the
continental U.S. and establishing the first generation of Floridanos and the
Government of Florida.[36] Spain maintained strategic control over the region by
converting the local tribes to Christianity. The marriage between Luisa de Abrego,
a free black domestic servant from Seville, and Miguel Rodríguez, a white Segovian,
occurred in 1565 in St. Augustine. It is the first recorded Christian marriage in
the continental United States.[37]

Some Spanish married or had unions with Pensacola, Creek or African women, both
slave and free, and their descendants created a mixed-race population of mestizos
and mulattos. The Spanish encouraged slaves from the southern British colonies to
come to Florida as a refuge, promising freedom in exchange for conversion to
Catholicism. King Charles II of Spain issued a royal proclamation freeing all
slaves who fled to Spanish Florida and accepted conversion and baptism. Most went
to the area around St. Augustine, but escaped slaves also reached Pensacola. St.
Augustine had mustered an all-black militia unit defending Spain as early as 1683.
[38]
The Castillo de San Marcos. Originally white with red corners, its design reflects
the colors and shapes of the Cross of Burgundy and the subsequent Flag of Florida.

The geographical area of Florida diminished with the establishment of English

settlements to the north and French claims to the west. The English attacked St.
Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Spain
built the Castillo de San Marcos in 1672 and Fort Matanzas in 1742 to defend
Florida's capital city from attacks, and to maintain its strategic position in the
defense of the Captaincy General of Cuba and the Spanish West Indies.

Florida attracted numerous Africans and African Americans from adjacent British
colonies who sought freedom from slavery. In 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano
established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St. Augustine, a
fortified town for escaped slaves to whom Montiano granted citizenship and freedom
in return for their service in the Florida militia, and which became the first free
black settlement legally sanctioned in North America.[39][40]

In 1763, Spain traded Florida to the Kingdom of Great Britain for control of
Havana, Cuba, which had been captured by the British during the Seven Years' War.
It was part of a large expansion of British territory following their victory in
the Seven Years' War. A large portion of the Floridano population left, taking
along most of the remaining indigenous population to Cuba.[41] The British soon
constructed the King's Road connecting St. Augustine to Georgia. The road crossed
the St. Johns River at a narrow point called Wacca Pilatka, or the British name
"Cow Ford", ostensibly reflecting the fact that cattle were brought across the
river there.[42][43][44]
East Florida and West Florida in British period (1763–1783)

The British divided and consolidated the Florida provinces (Las Floridas) into East
Florida and West Florida, a division the Spanish government kept after the brief
British period.[45] The British government gave land grants to officers and
soldiers who had fought in the French and Indian War in order to encourage
settlement. In order to induce settlers to move to Florida, reports of its natural
wealth were published in England. A large number of British settlers who were
described as being "energetic and of good character" moved to Florida, mostly
coming from South Carolina, Georgia and England. There was also a group of settlers
who came from the colony of Bermuda. This would be the first permanent English-
speaking population in what is now Duval County, Baker County, St. Johns County and
Nassau County. The British built good public roads and introduced the cultivation
of sugar cane, indigo and fruits as well as the export of lumber.[46][47]

The British governors were directed to call general assemblies as soon as possible
in order to make laws for the Floridas, and in the meantime they were, with the
advice of councils, to establish courts. This was the first introduction of the
English-derived legal system which Florida still has today, including trial by
jury, habeas corpus and county-based government.[46][47] Neither East Florida nor
West Florida sent any representatives to Philadelphia to draft the Declaration of
Independence. Florida remained a Loyalist stronghold for the duration of the
American Revolution.[48]

Spain regained both East and West Florida after Britain's defeat in the American
Revolution and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles in 1783, and continued the
provincial divisions until 1821.[49]
Joining the United States; Indian removal